Summer 2026 Newsletter

Dawn S. Reese CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The Future Is Now

As we quickly move forward this year, I want to take a moment to reflect on what truly drives our progress: our team, our mission, and our commitment to excellence.

I am proud of our Board of Directors and staff who have embraced a culture of innovation with empathy and understanding for the children and families whom we have the privilege to serve. Together, we uphold our Value of Excellence not only to meet expectations but to exceed them. (See page 3)

As the landscape around our students and families continues to evolve with artificial intelligence and technology advancements, we are taking the time during this current strategic planning process for our Strategic Plan 2027-2028 to ask how do we continue to deepen, adapt, or evolve our programs and services to meet the growing needs of our students the 21st Century workforce and beyond. As an example, among our alumni in colleges and universities across the nation, 54% have graduated with a bachelor’s or master’s degree since 2005, as compared to about 20% of their socio-economic peers. While this is a great comparative graduation rate, still, we are asking ourselves if we can increase this graduation rate by improving our students’ understanding about the complexities of higher education, preparing them for the academic rigor and focus required, and connecting what they learn through the power of dance in order to build the social-emotional life skills required to persist in college and ultimately matriculate.

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a Leadership Tomorrow OC panel on the future of the arts. When asked what the arts might look like in ten years, I shared that while the answer is uncertain, the possibilities are incredibly exciting. However, what I know with certainty is this: the skills young people develop today at The Wooden Floor will empower them with the agility, confidence, and courage to thrive in an ever-evolving world, as seen in the Class of 2026, who are declaring majors in neuroscience, biotech, computer sciences, and health administration, to name a few. (See page 5)

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our evolving mission and for the role you play today in helping us to shape the future for our students.

Warmly,

Mission Moment

Board of Directors Annual Dinner

Each March, The Wooden Floor’s Board of Directors comes together to connect, reflect, and celebrate the progress we’ve made together. This annual tradition has become a meaningful moment to recognize the dedication and impact of our organization.

We are proud to share that, through our ongoing partnership with BoardSource, The Wooden Floor has consistently maintained exceptional-level board governance since 2013, an achievement benchmarked against more than 5,000 nonprofits nationwide. This distinction reflects not only strong governance practices, but a deeply rooted culture of accountability, collaboration, and excellence that our board works to diligently uphold. Together, we remain focused on sustaining the high standards that drive our mission forward.

IGNITE DANCE

JANUARY 2026

Irvine Barclay Theatre marked its 35th anniversary of inspiring the arts with its celebratory production, Ignite Dance, highlighting the enduring impact of the Barclay’s artistic legacy. The Wooden Floor restaged a cherished work of choreographer John Heginbotham from our 28th Annual Concert, led by alumna Jocelyn Magaña Murillo, who returned as its rehearsal director after originally performing in the piece in 2011.

MOTHERS CONNECT MARCH 2026

Mothers of our students gathered in a supportive space to connect, reflect, and grow during this social emotional wellness workshop. The session provided an opportunity for participants to share their experiences, perspectives, and insights in an open and encouraging environment. Through meaningful conversations, the workshop fostered a positive community where mothers supported one another and learned together.

ANAHEIM DUCKS COMMUNITY ASSIST GAME

MARCH 2026

Students from The Wooden Floor were invited by the Anaheim Ducks and the Anaheim Ducks Foundation to participate in their Community Assist Game. Opportunities like this event provide meaningful experiences for students, reinforcing The Wooden Floor’s mission to empower young people through dance and support their pathways to higher education, while highlighting the organization’s ongoing community partnerships.

INTRODUCING THE CLASS OF 2026

THE CLASS OF 2026

HAS BEEN ACCEPTED TO THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES:

American University

Arizona State University

Azusa Pacific University

Cal Poly Pomona

Chapman University

Clark University

Concordia University-Irvine

CSU Chico

CSU Fullerton

CSU Long Beach

CSU Los Angeles

CSU San Marcos

CSU Stanislaus

Culinary Institute of America

Cypress College

Fisher College

George Mason University

Golden West College

Hampton City College

Hawaii Pacific University

Hendrix College

Irvine Valley College

Indiana University Bloomington

James Madison University

Lewis & Clark College

Morningside University

Mount St. Mary's University

Mount San Antonio College

Orange Coast College

San Francisco State University

Santa Ana College

Sonoma State University

UC Davis

UC Merced

UC Riverside

UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Cruz

University of Evansville

University of La Verne

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

University of San Francisco

Wichita State

Manuel is in 6th grade at Mendez Fundamental Middle School, where he has an impressive 3.6 GPA. He brings a sense of joy, connection, and presence to everything he does at The Wooden Floor. It is clear that he finds both joy and confidence in movement. After having been in two musicals through school, Manuel dreams of becoming an actor and studying at the USC School for Dramatic Arts.

In the First Person:

Manuel

CLASS OF 2032

“The Wooden Floor teaches you how to dance, to be a better person, to make friends, and have fun. Dancing feels motivating, positive, and fun. I used to be really stressed. Dance takes all my energy out and helps calms me down.

The tutoring here also helped me. I had lower grades than I have right now, and tutoring really helped me with math. The academic advising we have here is fun, and we talk about how we can be better people and help others.

The Wooden Floor makes my life better.”

MANUEL, CLASS OF 2032

Alumni In Action

Stay up-to-date with the milestones in our alumni’s lives after graduating from The Wooden Floor!

ARELY GUTIERREZ, CLASS OF 2025

“I feel that my time at The Wooden Floor taught me to be confident in myself. I used to be very shy, whether it was speaking in public or performing, but The Wooden Floor showed me not to be afraid to present myself and share my talents with others. This confidence has been invaluable, setting me up for success in college and beyond by allowing me to speak, perform, and connect with people without fear.”

Arely is a freshman at Chapman University, studying Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Community Education Studies. She is a member of the Orange County Hispanic Youth Chamber of Commerce, where she’s attended various events and expanded her professional network by connecting with individuals in her field of interest. In addition, Arely is a Horatio Alger Scholar and also works as program staff at Youth Centers of Orange. She hopes to become an entrepreneur and create a business that positively impacts others.

VICTORIA OCAMPO ACOSTA, CLASS OF 2022

“I often attribute my ability to think creatively and adapt quickly to my background in dance. In dance class, we were frequently challenged to create movement based on different prompts, pushing me to think outside the box and respond to new ideas in the moment. That experience strengthened my creativity and my ability to navigate unfamiliar situations with confidence.”

Victoria is a senior at University of Southern California, majoring in Business of Cinematic Arts. She has worked five different internships with Warner Bros., NEER, Project Destined Real Estate, Revitate Real Estate, and Earnest & Young-Parthenon and had the opportunity to travel to Thailand and Cuba with USC. Her dream is to work in entertainment strategy and development at a major film studio. She is impassioned to work at the intersection of storytelling and business, aiming to contribute to projects that, in addition to performing well commercially, also create a meaningful cultural impact. She is also the president of the competition salsa dance Team at USC, overseeing the team’s three divisions and acting as artistic director for their spring showcase. Victoria secured her first career job in Mergers and Acquisitions at Ernst & Young.

May 28 - 30, 2026

AN INSPIRING CONTEMPORARY DANCE EVENT

A powerful, must-see contemporary dance performance featuring the nation's top artists, designers, and choreographers working in collaboration with young people who are change agents and beacons of hope within our world. These young dancers harness their distinctive points of view to consistently produce poignant, ground-breaking dance pieces that have drawn national accolades.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

HONORARY UNDERWRITERS

The Beall Family Foundation

Helen Sperry Lea Foundation

WHH Foundation

ASSOCIATE UNDERWRITERS

Socorro & Ernesto Vasquez

CONCERT UNDERWRITERS

Bobbi Cox

Davis/Dauray Family Fund

Sharon & Terry Hartshorn

Cath MacIver & Jim Slaughter

Judith F. Posnikoff

Robyn & Dave Stauffer

Linda and Tod White Charitable Fund

CONCERT PARTNERS

Michelle & Timothy Dean

CONCERT SUPPORTERS

Hydraflow — The Ayloush Family

Carole & Rich Lee

Ginger & Arthur Ong

MEDIA SPONSOR

*As of April 14, 2026.

LEARN MORE AT: TheWoodenFloor.org/AnnualConcert

INNOVATION INSIGHTS

The Ripple Effect

When youth emerge from their tenures at The Wooden Floor, they are beacons of hope and change — full of inspiration, knowledge, and drive, prepared to transform their lives. Many of our students are set in motion to become the first in their families to enroll in college while simultaneously becoming change agents, as their passion to strive for higher education and better their lives ripples through their neighborhoods, our community, and our world. This illustration of The Ripple Effect depicts how students utilize their experiences at The Wooden Floor to create a positive difference around them.

Exposure to exploratory dance education encourages new paths of thought, which leads students to think differently about themselves and how they communicate and collaborate with others.

Case-by-case academic mentoring, college counseling, and strong academic support services assist students in preparing for success in college and degree attainment, unlocking doors to greater possibilities.

Family support, counseling, and parent workshops provide a stable home environment for both students and parents to thrive.

2025-2026 Board of Directors

Jehan Jayakumar,* Board Chair Founding Partner, Carlson & Jayakumar, LLP

Theresa Allen,* Immediate Past Chair

Managing Director, RBC Wealth Management

Joseph Chatelle,* Vice Chair Principal, Mercer

Richard Lee,* Secretary

Market President, Retired, Aetna, Southern California

Yvonne O’Neill,* Treasurer

Certified Public Accountant, O’Neill Financial Management

Wendy Arciero Executive Director, Anaheim Ducks Foundation

Sasha Ayloush,* Director of Sales & Marketing, Hydraflow

Seán Curran, Chair, Department of Dance, NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Viviana Davalos Alumni Representative Community Leader

Michelle Dean,* Community Leader

Jen Dibble, VP, Corporate Counsel, Edwards Lifesciences

Christina Di Rocco, Investment Operations Senior Manager, Capital Group Companies, Inc.

Brent Funston, Chief Executive Officer, Wind River Group, LLC

Roxanne Goodman, Controller, Mountain View Services, Inc. and Chem-Pak Products

Naveen Jonathan, PhD, LMFT, Community Representative

Clinical Associate Professor of Marriage & Family Therapy, Chair, Marriage & Family Therapy, Crean College of Health & Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University

Jeremy Krout, President/CEO, Environmental Planning Development Solutions, Inc.

Richard LeBrun, Managing Director and Head of Alternatives Business Management, PIMCO Investments, LLC

Sarah Lopez, MD, MBA, Medical Consultant, Division of Quality and Population Health Management, California Department of Health Care Services

Catherine M. MacIver, Community Leader

Kim Nguyen, Vice President, U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management

Maria Ochoa, Parent Representative Community Leader

Juan M. Pacheco, Parent Representative Community Leader

Alix Portillo, Assistant Vice President, Compliance Monitoring Officer, Genesis Bank

Judith F. Posnikoff, PhD, Managing Director, Martlet Asset Management, LLC

Morgan Ratcliffe, Executive Director, Chief Communications Officer, Providence Health Plan

Dawn S. Reese, CFRE, Chief Executive Officer, The Wooden Floor Saar Swartzon, Principal Attorney, Cohn & Swartzon, a Professional Law Corporation

Jerry Thode, Chief Executive Officer, J Paul Group, LLC

Shervin Vadood, Vice President, Branch Manager, Farmers & Merchants Bank

Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, NCARB, Partner & CEO, SVA Architects, Inc.

Board Emeriti

Joan Beall, Community Leader

Beth A. Burns, Founder of The Wooden Floor and Artistic Director (’83-’05)

Sharon Hartshorn, Community Leader

Richard C. Hunsaker,** President, Hunsaker Management

Virginia Hunsaker,** Community Leader

Damien M. Jordan, General Manager, Retired, American Funds/ Capital Group Companies, Inc.

Yvonne M. Jordan, Community Leader

Socorro Vasquez, Community Leader

20TH ANNUAL

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026 at 6:00PM

Endowment gifts may not always be considered to have an immediate impact when, in fact, at The Wooden Floor, those gifts and investment returns do help fund our Merit-based College Scholarship awards and our annual operating budget to meet the needs of our students and families today.

Orange County’s premier wine tasting benefit returns for the 20th year to keep the promise to The Wooden Floor’s youth so they know: “from here, you can step anywhere.”

Save-the-date for a rare and extraordinary wine tasting experience featuring 12 hard-to-find wines from around the world.

▫ A fun, strolling blind wine tasting competition

▫ Signature small plates

▫ Sharing of student success stories

▫ Silent auctions and opportunity drawings

▫ Giving opportunities

Big Canyon Country Club Newport Beach, California Sponsorships available now

We are encouraging our closest supporters to consider a gift to the Endowment Fund as a direct gift and/ or through a planned gift in the future as a means to leave their own legacy within The Wooden Floor, ensuring their love for our mission continues for years to come.

A planned gift is not simply a future transaction. It is strategic generosity — a current expression of values, stewardship, and purpose. A wellstructured planned gift, trust, or bequest can also be used for longterm financial planning and for asset protection.

We believe that all gifts of any size do make a difference in the lives of the students we serve today and for generations to come.

For a conversation to help define the impact you want to have over time, please contact CEO Dawn S. Reese at Dawn@TheWoodenFloor.org.

Supporter Sightings

Driving Futures™ Scholarship Benefit for The Wooden Floor

FEBRUARY 2026

This year’s Driving Futures highlighted the impact of community support in making higher education scholarships possible for The Wooden Floor students. The event featured a showcase of classic cars and aircraft, refreshments, and a powerful creative performance by students. It brought together supporters committed to advancing educational opportunities and investing in our students’ futures. Thank you to our event underwriters and supporters.

"Attending Driving Futures was an opportunity to see the mission in motion and hear how The Wooden Floor supports their graduates into the next chapter. As a former dancer, watching the students perform in such a unique space was especially impactful."

Christina Di Rocco, Board Member,

1810 North Main Street

Santa Ana, CA 92706-2727

714.541.8314

TheWoodenFloor.org

Please Save the Date!

Please gather with us at the following events to help propel our students and our mission forward. Follow us @TheWoodenFloor

43rd Annual Concert: Grounded Orbits

May 28 - 30, 2026 | 8:00pm nightly plus 2:30pm Saturday matinee

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

Be inspired by our young dancers as they perform new dance works co-created with leading contemporary dance choreographers, reflecting the organization’s reputation for artistic excellence.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/AnnualConcert

Arts Night Out

May 29, 2026 | 6:45pm

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

Make it an arts night out! Explore the work in Grounded Orbits with the cast and choreographers Brit Falcon and Devin Oshiro at a free pre-concert chat moderated by Jennifer Bassage Bonfil, The Wooden Floor’s Artistic Director.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/AnnualConcert

20th Annual Keep the Promise™ Wine Tasting Benefit

September 24, 2026 | 6:00pm

BIG CANYON COUNTRY CLUB, NEWPORT BEACH

A fun, strolling blind wine tasting competition featuring twelve spectacular wines from around the world, all rated 97 pts. and above. Proceeds help us keep the promise to each of our students: from here, you can step anywhere.

More information at TheWoodenFloor.org/WineTasting